“BAND Together to Fight Hunger” fundraiser is in its 13th year.
by Adele Uphaus
MANAGING EDITOR AND CORRESPONDENT
Stafford County’s combined high school marching bands raised enough money to provide 56,786 meals for the community through the annual “BAND Together to Fight Hunger” event last month.
The marching bands from Stafford, North Stafford, Brooke Point, Mountain View and Colonial Forge high schools performed together as one ensemble on November 6 at Mountain View. Admission to the event was free with the donation of one non-perishable food item for the Fredericksburg Regional Food Bank.
The students also sought donations from the community in order to provide 50,000 meals to community members in need.
In the end, the event raised $27,055—enough to exceed the goal by almost 7,000 meals.
“This achievement exemplifies our shared values of compassion, unity, and generosity. It’s more than notes on a page or beats in a rhythm; it’s the melody of kindness and the symphony of support,” said Annamarie Bollino, coordinator of fine and performing arts for Stafford County Public Schools, in a press release from the division. “Thank you to everyone who contributed, volunteered, and supported this incredible cause.”
Monetary donations came from local businesses and organizations such as Simventions, Mathnasium, Walmart Fresh and the local chapter of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, as well as individuals.
The first BAND Together event was held 12 years ago and since then, it has raised funds for more than 300,000 meals, the division stated in the press release.
“I am so impressed that the Band Together to Fight Hunger event continues to build momentum and deepen the commitment of Stafford school families and community members to engage with the work of hunger relief across our region,” said Dan Maher, president and CEO of the regional Food Bank. “Each year it is exciting to see the growing impact the event generates and to experience the spirit of unity it fosters among the schools and across the community.”
In honor of Military Family Appreciation Month, held every year in November, the combined bands performed an arrangement of military service songs from all branches of the U.S. armed forces—including Space Force.
The arrangement, by Paul Murtha, chief arranger for the U.S. Army Band (“Pershing’s Own”) from 2001 to 2016, was commissioned for the event.
Each band also performed its individual half-time show during the concert.
A video of scenes from the performance is at the division’s YouTube page.
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